It may be safe to say that 2016's Nexus phones are the most anticipated devices in the brand's history. And we've been rather prolific in our coverage of what, frankly, would qualify as minutiae here at Android Police were it in regard to any non-Google device. And we get that. We initially showed you renders of Sailfish and Marlin (and yes, they still look the same - just different sizes) back in July. We also shared specifications for both Sailfish and Marlin in June, respectively, here and here.

Before I discuss the images you have already seen above, let's talk about what we know and continue to believe.

Marlin and Sailfish share the same basic industrial design and materials. There is no "plastic" phone between the two.

We still believe both devices are built by HTC and will have identical specifications aside from screen size, resolution, and battery capacity.

In short: anything you're hearing at this point about a "budget" Nexus, a Nexus made predominantly of plastic, or two different Nexus "designs" is news to us. And we would be exceptionally skeptical of anyone claiming this. We're not saying it's impossible, but we've seen literally nothing to suggest anything like this (either in visual evidence or from our trusted sources). So, to recap: two Nexus phones, both built by HTC, basically identical specs at different sizes (5.0" and 5.5"), and with basically identical design and materials.

Now, on to the fun part: what are you seeing above? That would be Sailfish (we are 100% positive this is Sailfish), the smaller 5.0" Nexus device. You'll notice that it is indeed quite metallic. We also feel at this point that the darker, glossy pane around the fingerprint scanner and camera module is glass, not plastic. Compared to our renders of a month ago, this seems like a strong match. You'll notice that the Google "G" logo is absent in these photos, but we believe that by the time handsets enter production, the "G" will be present (i.e., no "Nexus" logo).

It also looks very much like the grainy image leaked by an anonymous Twitter user yesterday that a great many of you have sent to us as a tip.

The 2016 HTC Nexus looks like a cross between the Nexus 4 & iPhone with glass and fingerprint scanner on the back. pic.twitter.com/7pm9fhszki

The leaker's wording here is a bit prone to misinterpretation regarding the glass back, and I hope our images clear up any uncertainty there about the extent to which it... extends. I also hope our profile shots make it clear that this phone is not abnormally thick. It's not crazily thin, but the angle in the shot above definitely exaggerates Sailfish's girth.

That leaker also posted a text-only tweet claiming that one device he saw was "premium" and another "glossy plastic," with both being smaller devices ("<5.5 inch screen"). I think the most likely interpretation here is that the "glossy plastic" phone wasn't a Nexus at all, but another non-Nexus smartphone that this person simply didn't recognize. I can't really speculate beyond that - we have no visuals, no extended description, so at this point, I'm chalking the leaker's assertions here up to error.

So, there you have it: live photos of a 2016 Nexus phone. I'm still holding out for that Electric Blue version.

Another photo posted by the same @usbfl Twitter account shows that the speculations about the phone's back being fully glass are misguided by the leakster's first photo's angle and vague wording. The photo clearly shows two different materials, one matte and one with a certain shine, which aligns with what we've disclosed since the start: the two Nexus phones will likely have a metallic finish with a glass covering on half of the back.

Comments

There's absolutely ZERO excuse for such bigass bezels. NONE. Especially with no dual front facing speakers. The bezels on the 5X are so grossly unattractive and bad that my Nexus 6 is more secure to hold and actually easier to use one-handed.

xgudwilx

doesn't "i.e." mean for example?

ChicagoPete

No, it means "that is to say". "e.g." means "for example".

DrThief

The thing about the bezels is that, if Google wants to make a premium
smartphone and sell it at flagship prices, they need to make it look
like a premium flagship device. Big bezels are the opposite of that,
they make a device look cheap and technologically backwards.

Just
look at what Samsung is doing. The edge variant of S7 outsold the the
normal one and they went with an edge design on the Note 7. Is that
because of the added functionality of the edge screen? Doubtful, most
probably their marketing department told them that the edge design is
more desirable with the market audience.

Google can stuff the
world's most advanced software in this phone, but if it looks like a
technologically inferior device, it will sell like one.

whispy_snippet

iPhone

needa

The sides don't bother me, but the top and bottoms do. They might not have much of a choice when it comes to Samsung's 'prized' screens.

Mark

iphone. I don't add more

Mark

iphone. I don't add more

Mark

iphone. I don't add more

Mark

iphone. I don't add more

Mark

iphone. I don't add more

Mark

iphone. I don't add more

John Lincicum

In my opinion, the best looking Nexus phone to date is the 2014 Motorola made Nexus 6, (and the Moto X and Moto X Pure Editions). 3 honestly great looking phones and at least 2 have dual front facing speakers.

Abbas Mustafa Bhaiji

Why G why not just have the 4 colored X i simply do not get these ppl smtimes

needa

Nothing wrong with Google getting a little bit of brand recognition.

razorfs

all hail the mighty Nexus! Cast out all thy inferior Devices!

Dave

The front looks pretty well balanced in terms of dimensions. I'm liking the look of it more and more.

The Witness Self

Jay Leno wants his chin back HTC.

Fuck huge bezels and the people who love them, that's what iPhone6s Plus was invented for!

Oh yea and fuck iPhones too. Thx.

asianrage

I hope the bigger version will have two front facing speakers.

RXG9

No dual LED flash?

Mark

it's useless

matteventu

To me it looks like a dual LED flash, just crafted into a single "circle" like the iPhone.

Me

Headphone jack at the top is a bummer

HQ

I hope it has wireless charging

Aquan Belk

Ok that's one hell off a bezel on that phone it should be called the Nexus Crimson Chin

SimonSaid

Any thoughts about price, folks? I wonder if the new heightened focus on Nexus from Google means they'll try to inch the price up to allow it to have premium materials and features, and properly compete with Samsung and iPhone. I hope it's not too crazy, as whatever price this is will most definitely be appearing on my autumn credit card bills...

mike shwilly

And i thought 5X was ugly.. Now they totally have to extend N5 support for 4th year.

Mark

ridicolous comments

Mathias

Headphone jack up top? Annoying.

trickytree1984

This is the only thing stopping me pulling the trigger on a OnePlus 3. Any ideas if the new nexus phones have any chance of being dual sim?

lomsha

None

noomski

Oh great! so while the Nexus 4, Nexus 5 & Nexus 6 all got wireless charging I went out and bought many wireless chargers (including Items fro Ikea with QI wireless charging built in). Then Google screws us over and leaves it off all Nexus phones since the current generation and it looks like it's never coming back!!

Thanks for wasting my money Google!!! Now what do I do if I want an 'unskinned' android phone that works with the kit I've invested in???

lomsha

Lol Google didn't tell you to go buy them. It was an option your didn't have to go crazy with it. Nothing is guaranteed in tech.

Stadi

I hate that the audio jack is on top. I'm also afraid that as it is done by HTC if will have a shitty camera. HTC not once managed to do an acceptable camera in the last couple of years.

The angle of the picture makes the bottom bezel way bigger than it is, it'll be the same as the top and they won't be any bigger than the 6p's. If you look at the 6p next to an iPhone 6s+, ALL bezels are noticeable smaller on the 6p. Also, going by the width of the power and volume buttons, it looks to me like the thickness of the phone might be surprisingly slim.

Michael Sørensen

Ok, I'm out of here. Putting up a shitty image like that irritates me. At least load up Photoshop and fix the masking yourselves.
Yes, I'm that petty.

So it looks like they just removed the capacitive buttons from the HTC and kept the giant chin. That is a big turn off. I was hoping for a smaller phone given the smaller screen but it looks like its a 5" screen in the body of a 5.5" phone. So much wasted space.

Also hate this trend of volume and power buttons on the same side. Makes it a pain to operate in a sleeve, wearing gloves, etc.

Raiders12

I just hope they don't go the way of the N6 and jack up the price to "premium" flagship levels. The one major drawpoint for Nexus has always been great specs and no frills for great prices. I have always sold my current Nexus and upgraded to the next Nexus (Gnex, N4, N5, 5x). Hoping to continue this trend.

TechGuy22

Why is audio jack continue to be on top for nexus phones. Makes no sense.

asdasd

To any moron (you know who you are) who keeps on saying this is going to be a 5.0" phone bigger than 5.5" phones (and does not know what a bloody GIF is), people who actually use their brains have done some perspective correction and come up with this comparison :- http://i.imgur.com/QezNxz2.jpg. So it seems it will actually be a bit SHORTER than the s7.

To the inevitable 'zomg LOl u kant meashure tilt fonez', you totally can if you have atleast some known lengths in the picture. Example the height of a 5" 1080p screen. From their extrapolating the phone's height which is parallel to the screen height is simple.

Do you even science, beech?

Testraindrop

So its bigger than the original Nexus 5?

Thats called 3 years of technical innovation, nice job HTC.

Of course its shorter than a S7, S7 has actually a bigger display, would be really sad if it would be even bigger than the S7.

asdasd

it has a .1 inch bigger display. i am not denying the fact that the bezel does not look nice, but the amount of exaggeration and drama going on here over it, is, well i guess it is pretty standard for the internet.

and obviously all the improvements in all the other areas over three years are completely nullified because the phone is a smidgen bigger, right? Better camera vs competitors, better battery life etc is bollocks, what about the BEZEL engineering?

Testraindrop

lets see about the camera quality first... its HTC after all

Mark

n only be better than the previous, and the previous was one of the best. HTC is the arm, google the brain.

Man, if Marlin could shave off some bezel size on the bottom of the phone, it'd be damn near perfect in terms of size.

mattcoz

If those measurements are correct, I'll take back everything I've said. I'll believe it when I see it though.

Mark

perspective correction

Mark

you're making such a drama, but i'm sure it will be the best nexus so far

InvestLite

This has to be the ugliest phone since... maybe ever.

Cole Coulter

As much as bezels don't affect my buying decision, the first thing I noticed was the large bottom bezel that was seemingly unutilized. Odd design choice if nothing else. I'm so ready for these devices.

Synacks

DEAR LORD THE BEZELS. Yes massive bezels will stop me from purchasing a phone, know why? Because the phone is taller than it needs to be. You know another huge reason the GS7 Edge is such a massive hit? Big screen, small body.

Jaron Brender

Is it just me or does the phone in the twitter image look different from phone in the images in the top of the article? The phone in the twitter image has a large flat chamfer around the back, like HTC 10. the other images show more rounded back sides similar to HTC One A9 or Iphone 6.

M vP

I think this is a phony phone... Pun aside, this looks like a fake, notice the photoshop here still has a shadow of the Android police logo... What's up with that? And the tiny Android police logo in the fingerprint scanner?

PerhapsNever

The AP logo is a watermark that they put on every photo they get and post. Putting it in the fingerprint scanner was AP's way of having fun (IMHO).

M vP

Yeah, for some reason it looked unintentional to me. But that might also be skepticism from the shoddy crop work.

PerhapsNever

I have a feeling that they received it that way. AP would never allow truly craptastic pics to be posted if they have control over it.

M vP

Yes, but why watermark it if it's not theirs to begin with?

PerhapsNever

Because it's their exclusive.

Jason

i knew HTC was going to turn the nexus into another iphone clone or another m8/m9/10. how could google screw this up so bad.

M vP

I actually want it to look like the A9 personally, without the asymmetrical larger bottom bezel

Jason

honestly, why?

id rather they took the nexus 5/5x form with a 5.5" screen.

M vP

For me, I want a 5", not 5.2" small difference, but I like it better... Also nexus 5x to me looks like a polycarbonate A9, not exactly, but..

Jason

it looks nothing like the A9

M vP

I actually just got off a conference call with Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook, and Joe Biden, they all disagreed with you.

M vP

I think they just took a HTC A9 and photo shopped it with Android police's leaks

ConCal

Ugh... Those top and bottom bezels are awful.

Brian Himes

Looks alright to me. Me thinks the bottom bezel size appears longer due to the angle and quality of the photograph.

Mark

a perspective correction

i_say_uuhhh

I sure hope so! This looks much better!

Mark

the leaked photo was taken from an bad angle, so changing the angle, you notice the real size of the bezel

it's a watermark on the picture, so another site can't take the photos and pass them off as theirs.

ConCal

When Google first announced the on screen buttons I thought it was to allow for phone makes to make very very small bezels. I like on screen butons, but having bezels this big makes on screen buttons less compelling.

Peter Blanco

It's definitely made by HTC, look at dem bottom bezels!

i_say_uuhhh

Well.. not even the 10 Bezels were this big. In fact the HTC 10 had pretty good bezel size in comparison to last years Nexus 5X. I commented on another blog that this phone looks exactly like the HTC A9 in the front sans the fingerprint scanner. I'm guessing they used that chassis and just modified it without making the chin smaller.

Monsieur Debois

Ugh. I'm still waiting for a new Nexus phone that I like. Looks like I'm going to be using my Nexus 5 for yet another year.

Mark

you'll like it

Monsieur Debois

Haha, I wish. They didn't get me with the Nexus 6, 5x, nor 6P. They won't lure me with either of this years phones either. The batteries are too small, and this phone looks ugly, just like all of the other Nexus phones after the 5.

elchuby

The nexus 5x looks a lot like the Nexus 5. Besides, the Nexus 5 battery life is terrible and you should know it.

Monsieur Debois

Yeah I thought about the 5X, but it didn't seem like it was worth the upgrade from the 5, and the 5X is just a little too big for my taste. The battery on the Nexus 5 is pretty bad and that's exactly why I want a phone with a really good battery. I bought the BLU Studio Energy 2 a couple of months ago just because of the battery and I loved it, but the performance is (of course) really bad. So I just alternate between the BLU and Nexus 5 depending on what I'm doing. If they can make a Nexus phone with a battery like the BLU Studio Energy 2.. Then I'll bite.

Mark

i don't think nexus 5 was the smartphone with the best design. I like a lot the nexus 6p, so i don't get you. But wait to judge when you'll see the real render and a good quality photo

Monsieur Debois

It's just a difference of opinion. The 6P isn't an option for me. I don't really like how it looks, it's too big for my taste, and I don't like metal phones. The problem with Sailfish for me is that the battery is too small, and the phone seems to be metal too.

Mark

but top smartphone are all made in metal, but the Samsung. Wait to judge the battery

Monsieur Debois

Yeah, most flagships use metal. I think metal is unattractive though and I don't like the way it feels. I absolutely love the polycarbonate feel of the Nexus 5. As for the battery.. I've been using the BLU Studio Energy 2 lately which lasts me about 4 days without charging. I'm simply not going to get that from a phone with a 2770mAh battery, not even 2 days. I'm just not the market that Google is trying to sell to.

Mark

if you want a long lasting battery phone, you can't hope for a nexus.

M vP

You're gonna like the way it looks, I guarantee it

Patruns

And if there is no QI charging I will be going yet another year with my nexus 5......

Dom Apice

Unfortunately I don't think QI is going to be brought back any time soon.

There is no way this is the final design, and the photos are really poor quality. I'll wait for the final pics. More interested in Daydream and wireless charging possibilities. May jump for Marlin if Daydream looks good.

M vP

Does anyone else wonder if that bigger bottom bezel might contain capacitive buttons instead of on screen ones? Like the HTC 10?

Testraindrop

Its a Nexus, so no.

disqus_GOTHZbVHu7

that is truly hideous, hopefully the hardware makes up for it

Chrisc

That giant chin with no speaker is such a turn off. What is this, 2013? Apparently we need a 6" screen to also get small bezels.

Remember folks that used the phone and placed it on a cold granite countertop, resulting in cracked glass?

C B

Wow, huge bezels, more so on the bottom. Thick, chunky, just the subpar design I expected from HTC.

Jordan L

I'm calling BS on the bottom bezel size. there is a strange artifact in the straight line that makes up the bottom bezel edge... and no mic there? it's TOO strange[big] to be real. I'm hoping it's a prank.

Testraindrop

you will be disappointing... unfortunetely

Trooper311

iPhone bezels ftw!!!! :

Thorsten G.

Ugly. That said, I don't think the pic's legit.

Nee Austin

I'm getting by with a 5X I bought last month until the new Nexus comes, but my anxiety only increases the more I hear. HTC just starts out as a bad choice, and Google doesn't have a good track record of inspiring a manufacturer to overachieve.

One bright side is that HTC's undying love of fat phones, there won't be a 3.5mm jack controversy. HTC might just give you TWO stacked 3.5mm jacks just to show they are the best at being thickest.

Marcos Reves

I edited the image a little bit, the front reminds me of a Moto X (2013):

Max Johnson

It remind me of an iPhone. Not ugly, but boring. I am really not that snobby when it come to phone fashion, or maybe a little, but I don't want to look like walking around with an iPhone.

Marcos Reves

I don't mind the "iPhone(ish)" looks, since I think Apple does a great job in that regard. What I find weird is the fact that it doesn't seem to have front facing stereo speakers. Specially having in mind that HTC is well known for doing it right, plus Google itself doing so with last year's Nexus Phones

Nikhil Baliga

I agree the bottom bezel simply stands out. But comparing this to an iPhone (don't be mad), this is the area where it has the touchID/button.

Mario Junior ✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ

Ugly!

UniBroW

Nexus fanboy here, exactly what I imagined from HTC. Glad I grabbed a 6p on discount, this phone may be the bees knees but it looks terrible and I have zero faith in HTC. I'm not sure how they've ever gotten the build quality award in the past, every device I've ever used (admittedly not many,)has been terrible. Nexus 9 being the last one.

Looking forward to 2017, hopefully

Adam Margeson

Until I bought a Nexus 5 (2013), I hated LG as a company - I didn't trust any of their products. To be fair, my experience with them was back from flip-phone days. Once I picked up a Nexus 5, my opinion about them changed. Not to say their more recent products are great, but it's not total garbage (excepting the G5). When I first got into Android, I used both the HTC G1 and the HTC G2. I loved them both - they were good devices for their time. HTC's problem right now is direction. They don't have one other than trying to stay afloat. I'm hoping that Google has helped give them direction on these units. They'll have their downfalls, sure, just like any other Nexus, but the Nexus line has always been about pushing what can be done at a decent price, not producing Apple-quality flagships. Here's to hoping! :Crosses fingers:

danix180

What's up with the chin?

David

That bottom bezel seems unnecessary considering the fingerprint sensor is on the back. At least the iPhone has a reason for big bezels, this phone doesn't.

Max Johnson

Which is strange because the HTC 10 has it in front. I think it's a Google decision.

Mark

of course it's a google decision. Htc produces the device, but google is the head and lead the production

David

I just hope Marlin doesn't have the same bezels.

Kenneth Porter

For everyone clamoring about the bezels I want to remind you how everyone thought the 6p camera hump was absurd looking until we got press renders. Sooo chill for a second with the bezel outrage

Vivek Rameses

Why the glass back? I'm sick of this trend.

Max Johnson

Because everyone needs to be like Samsung.

Testraindrop

But only half Samsung, HTC got the other half in this case... ;)

AudioAw

Bezels or not, this phone is ugly.

sherazch

I wanted a better idea of what the phone looked like so perspective corrected the image in Photoshop. Figured I'd share it with everyone.

Mark

i did a perspective correction too. But why did you lightened the image?

For anyone with stereo speakers, it's easy to see what you'd loose by not having them. Just play your favorite song and hold your phone in front of your face horizontally. Sounds beautiful, right? Now turn your phone vertical. Sounds so much worse and like you're missing half the sound.